Blair Witch Project, Part 2(3)?

No, this isn't a post about a sequel to the 1999 film. To my dismay, I found that there actually was a sequel made in 2000, hence the bracketed three in the title. Paranormal Activity seems to be enjoying similar word of mouth success to the Blair Witch 'documentary'. It also had a shoe string budget, and to date has grossed around $100 million in America.

So, what's the big deal? The film was made for $15k in 2006. The plot goes like this. A guy buys a camera and hooks it up in his bedroom to monitor strange activity his girlfriend has been reporting. Sounds pretty boring, huh? Talk of the film is all over the internet and the press. Hyperbolic claims are being made about Paranormal Activity being the scariest movie ever. The scariest movie ever? It's about ghosts, people.

Still, I may be wrong. Some people are even claiming that they haven't been able to sleep for a week after seeing the movie. There would have to be some pretty wild stuff happening in that room to keep me from sleeping. To add to all this, director Steven Spielberg was scared by it. And then he found a door in his house locked from the inside. Spooky. Anyway, it's unclear when or if Paranormal Activity will ever be released in cinemas here. Below is the trailer.

Interesting fact stolen from this week's (Guardian) Guide : director Orenn Peli encouraged the male and female leads to act like Basil and Sybil Fawlty from Fawlty Towers

New Hot Chip - Take it in

Hot Chip are due to release a new album in February 2009 called One Life Stand. Although there were a couple of memorable songs on last year's Made in The Dark, I found it disappointing in comparison to 2006's The Warning. This song, a new take on a previously released song, shows some promise. The foreboding sounding synths sound a bit like Depeche Mode, while the more upbeat chorus is more what we have come to expect from Hot Chip.

No official video available yet unfortunately.

In The Loop

Ok. So, I may be coming to this a bit late, but I only just got around to watching it on DVD last night. This is probably because I can barely tolerate politics in real life, never mind on the screen. I have been a fan of Armando Iannucci since The Day Today, but I couldn't bring myself to watch this. I assumed that the film would be preachy and would explore technical elements of politics that would go over my head.


How wrong I was.

The film follows the government officials behind the scenes and their attempts at promoting or preventing the war which the American President and the Prime Minister plan to launch in the Middle East. It is a spin off from Armando Iannucci's program The Thick Of It, which I am only now beginning to watch. Here is a selection of Malcolm Tucker's (played byPeter Capaldi) best bits from the film.

Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry

"Why am I here, says the silence, what have I done, echoes the emptiness, why have I ruined myself ..."

This novel came to my attention while researching my novel idea. Because the novel explores the concept of addiction, my research turned up the typical works. Hunter S. Thompson, James Frey, Irvine Welsh etc. Then somebody suggested Under The Volcano. I researched Malcolm Lowry, and found that the subject of the book closely mirrored his own life. Finding Lowry intriguing, I bought a copy.

Geoffrey Firmin, the British Consul to Mexico, wants to write a book. His endeavours are thwarted by his alcoholism, a problem which affects all areas of his life, not least his relationship with ex-wife Yvonne. Yvonne arrives in Mexico on the Day of The Dead to try and start anew. This is easier said than done however. The presence of Jaques, Geoffrey's childhood friend, and Hugh, his brother who had an affair with Yvonne, only serves to complicate matters.

At first, I struggled with the book. This was mainly because I read about 50 pages and nothing of any consequence had happened. About a week later, I picked it up again and was soon blown away. The book is packed with beautiful imagery and Geoffrey's stream of consciousness. He is a man in a desperate situation, he knows that the drink is killing him but simply can't stop. This exploration of a man on the edge of the abyss is incredibly moving, all the more so when you consider Lowry's own tragic death. Below is the epitaph he wrote for himself.

Malcolm Lowry

Late of the Bowery

His prose was flowery

And often glowery

He lived,nightly, and drank, daily,

And died playing the ukulele.

Selected Poems of Malcolm Lowry

Bob Dylan has 'Christmas in the Heart'

About a month ago, I saw news popping up on certain music sites and blogs suggesting that Dylan was to release a Christmas album. I laughed at the very idea and put it to the back of my mind. He's Jewish for God's sake.It seems I was wrong to laugh. Dylan's official website has confirmed that he is releasing a Christmas album. This worries me. I am concerned that the poor man may have lost it. Advertising cars, lingerie and releasing an album through a coffee store were all bad moves as far as I am concerned. But a Christmas album? This must put a considerable dent in his credibility. However, it is for charity. And man does he look and sound like he's having fun in this video.



Only Dylan could pull this off so well.

Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come

I hadn't heard about The Mountain Goats until reading Pitchfork's review of their new album The Life of the World to Come. Although the review was favourable, I was sceptical. This was due to the fact that each song appeared to be based on a passage from the bible. Immediately, alarm bells started to ring. Reluctantly, I set about looking for a few songs from the new album (their 17th) on YouTube. And I'm glad I did.



Hostages, heroin and the end of the world. Needless to say, my fears about the album being a glorified lecture on why God is great were quickly allayed.

Interesting fact: The video for this song is directed by the writer/director of the film Brick.